Police treat fatal Christchurch fire as suspicious

Christchurch police are treating as suspicious the death of a 63-year-old man whose body was found in a burnt out Christchurch house yesterday.

Christchurch chief fire officer Dan Coward said the Fire Service was called just after 4pm to the bedsit in Fitzgerald Avenue.

Firefighters told by neighbours someone was inside went into the Linwood house and found a man's body.

Detective Senior Sergeant David Harvey said the man's name was not yet released.

An autopsy would be held today and the death was being treated as suspicious until police could prove otherwise, he said.

Police would today examine the scene .

- NZPA